Westmorland and Lonsdale Election Debate

Our Director and Planning Officer attended the Westmorland and Lonsdale Election Debate at Kendal College this week. A wide range of topics were discussed and debated between the prospective candidates vying to win the seat.

We were encouraged that the 3 objectives laid out in our manifesto; landscapes for all, prosperous rural communities and better funding for the countryside, were all touched on by the candidates throughout the debate.

We were fortunate enough to be afforded the opportunity to put the following question to the candidates:

Much of Cumbria’s economy is based on its environment, including tourism and agriculture. How will you work to ensure that Cumbria’s environment and how me manage it is given the protection and support it needs once EU protections and funding are removed?

A range of responses were received from the candidates discussing the importance of paying farmers for all the services they provide, the need for a joined up approach, tackling the threats brought about by climate change, the importance of biodiversity and varying levels of support for renewables.

(If you'd like to download our Manifesto to print or read as a pdf document then please click on image below or follow this link)

Friends of the Lake District calls on politicians to give the environment the status it deserves in policy decisions, not just for its own sake but for the economic and social benefits it provides our nation’s people.

Whoever is elected in this seat and across Cumbria, Friends of The Lake District remains dedicated to working hard to protect and enhance Cumbria’s landscapes.

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We have concerns about the limited extent to which the impact of the proposals on the landscape has been assessed and significant concerns about the process that has been used to promote and develop the Masterplan document.

In a world of fast pace and change and more external pressures than ever before, it is easy to forget that landscape is all around us and supports us. This is why we created our Why Landscape Matters campaign. We are asking people to join with us and remember why our landscapes matter to us, celebrate and enjoy them, and support our work to keep them special.